The Story Behind My Award-Winning Photograph

Let me tell you more about myself to know me better.

I am Kevin Icabales, a Filipino real estate photographer, and a news-stringer by profession. I also love uniquely capturing the streets for my personal work. I first got into photography when my twin aunts gifted me a camera after I graduated from college and started to take pictures of what I love.

Fast-forward, I found my passion for shooting candid moments when I started shooting weddings, events, and concerts. And my shooting style led me to street photography.

I did not have any idea about this genre before until I read some books and watched online videos. I’ve learned more about it during my photojournalism class. My eyes were easily drawn to humor, geometry, and colors. For me, a photograph is like a melody in music.

The funny thing about it, I realized that I've incorporated Street Photography in my weddings and events photographs without even knowing about the genre before.

The effort I put into taking a photo is one of the factors why it made it to my A-list. I see to it that my photos are hard to replicate unless they are staged or directed.

Let me tell you about a photograph that I took back in 2017 shown below.

I saw the scene from a hotel room I was currently working on. When I looked outside the window, a man was lying on the floor and a car was parked diagonally. I took a few snaps then I went back to shooting the interior again. But I felt uneasy because I was not convinced that I got a good photograph. After working, I went back to my hotel room to rest and I thought of looking outside the window again. The scenario was still there so I grabbed my camera right away. Eventually, I saw a dog from afar. Then I knew that if the dog walked into my frame to form a triangle composition together with the man and a car, it would be a money shot. It is a simple composition but the cognitive friction is intense. I like the idea of how different stories will play into someone's head of what was going on in the photo which I intend to keep. And that's the beauty of it.

This photograph won 1st place in Italian Street Photo Festival 2019 and I consider it my biggest achievement in Street Photography. This story proves that you can do street photography anywhere because some people thought that you could only shoot on the streets literally. Wherever I go, whether I'm on the job or on vacation, I still take street photographs. Honestly, every day is not a lucky day for a quality street shot. It is a practice of patience and it can develop discipline. Who knows, the streets might give us what we want.